Vietnam Cycling North 12 Days

After breakfast, you’ll drive for 2 hours to Thanh Son, passing through a mountainous landscape along the way. You’ll start cycling up the mountain to Ba Khe and take a lunch break. In the late afternoon, we’ll continue biking to Nghia Lo. You’ll spend the night in Nghia Lo.

Cycling distance ~ 70km

After breakfast, you’ll continue your riding north and passing some villages along the way. Tu Le Valley, known for its immense rice fields, is a great spot for a lunch stop. In the afternoon, you’ll tackle a challenging climb up to Khau Pha Pass, followed by a downhill ride to the beautiful Mu Cang Chai rice terraces. You’ll spend the night in Mu Cang Chai.

Cycling distance ~ 98km

In the morning, take a walk around the local market of the Hmong community. This will be an easy day with rolling hills, covering only 50 km to Than Uyen. You’ll spend the night in Than Uyen.

Cycling distance ~ 50km.

After breakfast, you’ll start with a 10 km warm-up ride along the valley. You’ll then cycle through rolling hills to Than Uyen and Binh Lu. The challenge begins with the Tram Ton Pass, where you’ll climb 27 km to the highest pass in Vietnam, reaching an elevation of 2,050 meters above sea level. Afterward, you’ll descend 15 km to Sapa town. You’ll spend the night in Sapa.

Cycling distance ~ 50 – 98 km.

You’ll enjoy the beautiful mountain scenery and the villages of the Hmong and Dzao people. You’ll then have a fun 35 km downhill ride to Lao Cai, then transfer to Pho Rang to take a small road. This is the historic military Road 279 to Tan Quang, which is mostly flat with one hill. Upon arrival in Bac Quang, our van will pick us up for the transfer to Ha Giang. You’ll spend the night in Ha Giang.

Cycling distance ~ 60km.

This is a challenging day as we climb up to the Heaven Gate of the Hmong people, reaching an elevation of +1,100 meters. You’ll enjoy the beautiful view from the summit of Quan Ba Heaven Gate, and then ride along the scenic river. You’ll spend the night in Quan Ba.

This is another challenging day, but with a relatively short climb of about 14 km to the summit at +960 meters, where you’ll enter the Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark. You’ll then descend to Yen Minh for overnight accommodation.

Cycling distance ~ 50km.

After breakfast, you’ll continue your ride along the mountain, with a stop at Xaphin to visit the House of the Hmong King. In the late afternoon, we’ll take a leisurely stroll around this small town. You’ll spend the night in Dong Van.

Cycling distance ~ 48km.

You’ll enjoy the beautiful view of Ma Pi Leng Pass, an interesting site within the Geopark, with the Nho Que River winding deep below. You’ll also pass through a picturesque Hmong village on your way down to Meo Vac town. You’ll spend the night in Meo Vac.

Cycling distance ~ 25km. 

You’ll also enjoy beautiful karst scenery today. There’s only a short climb outside Meo Vac, followed by a long descent to Niem Son and then on to Bao Lac. Admire the stunning view of the Gam River from Ly Bon Bridge to Bao Lac.

Cycling distance ~ 75km.

Today is a long day heading south to Ba Be Lake. Our van will assist with the transfer to the mountain summit, after which we’ll start our ride on new paved roads, with some sections on dirt roads. In the afternoon, we’ll take two boat trips to explore Ba Be National Park.

Cycling distance ~ 75km.

Today, you’ll spend time exploring Ba Be Lake by boat. Enjoy a relaxing morning boat trip to the Song Nang River, followed by a short hike to Dau Dang Waterfalls. You’ll then cruise back to the lake, where swimming may be possible. Afterward, you’ll head back to Pac Ngoi Village, check out, and transfer to Cho Ra for a lunch break. In the afternoon, we’ll transfer to Bac Kan town and continue the drive to Hanoi for overnight accommodation.